Lyotard

Genre

Genre can be defined in many ways; one definition which was argued by Feuer stated that ‘A genre is ultimately an abstract conception rather than something that exists empirically in the world,'

Genre is represented in my music video by the relationship between the lyrics and visuals. The lyrics of the song is about friendship and this could be regarded as a conventional concept in the pop genre because the lyrics of pop songs usually talk about relationships –although they are mostly romantic relationships but friendship is perhaps the next most common relationship used.
Gledhill argued that 'differences between genres meant different audiences could be identified and catered to... This made it easier to standardise and stabilise production‘. In my music video the pop genre could be identified by the audience with the significant features such as the song itself being quite up-beat and consisting of a catchy melody. The lyrics talks about friendship which would be seen as a typical concept in the pop genre as the audiences are generally younger and so they can relate to it.

Furthermore, McQuail noted that “The genre may be considered as a practical device for helping any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its customers.” In relation to this, my music video was created with the conventional features in the genre which would meet the expectations of the audience. For example, by having a happy ending it is conventional because the audience would expect that in the pop genre as it usually portrays things in a positive way.

Narrative terminology

Syntax - The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. Protagonist - Also known as the hero; the character who drives the narrative forward through the choices they makes and the actions they take. Antagonist - Also can be known as the villain; the character in the plot whose functions is to oppose the protagonist. They may not necessarily be bad but they stand between the protagonist and their goals. Climax/crescendo - Where the conflict of the narrative reaches its highest. Equilibrium - A state where things are balanced. Disequilibrium - The disruption of the equilibrium. Enigma code - Drives narrative by an unanswered question, creates interest for the audience. Proairetic/action code - Drives narrative through anticipation of an action’s resolution. Linear - The most simple and commonly used narrative structure where a story is told in a chronological order of events that happen from beginning to end; sometimes referred to as a ‘cause and effect’ narrative as the consequences of an event have an effect on something else which drives the narrative. Non-linear - The opposite of linear, where events are not shown in a chronological order. Circular - Describes a narrative which begins at the end e.g. Titanic. Parallel narrative - Often involves more than one protagonist; there are several storylines. Flashbacks/flashforwards - A scene that takes the narrative backwards/forwards in time from that current point. Real time - The actual time during which a process or event occurs. Reversal - A change to an opposite direction, position or course of action. Dream sequences - The technique used to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. This may consists of a flashback, flashfoward, dream etc. Repetition - The action of repeating something. Ellipsis - Where the movement or action unnecessary to the telling of the story is removed by editing. Convergent narrative -  Interweaving narrative -  Impressionist narrative -

Lyric analysis and narrative

Similarly it could relate to Barthes' theory as the establishment could be represented by the two friends in their daily school lives and then tension builds up as something happens to one of them e.g. break-up, an argument with parents etc. Finally the problem is resolved with the friend helping them out. This would make it a linear narrative as the events would be in a chronological order for it to make sense.

Another theory proposed by Barthes talks about the action codes that enable an audience to make sense of the narrative. I could perhaps use a hermeneutic code (narrative turning-points) which argues that we know where the story will go next. So for my video, since the song is quite positive the audience will be able to guess that the problem is resolved at the end.